Often times we find ourselves looking forward to certain upcoming events. Whether it be birthday celebrations, nights out with friends, concerts, shows, etc., in getting excited for the big date slowly approaching, we tend to lose track of what is currently going on around us. We get so caught up in wanting the time to pass so the day or night we have been so anxiously awaiting can finally arrive, and when it does, it goes by quicker than you can imagine. It is at this moment in which we cannot help but anticipate the next big event taking place, and start the whole anxiously awaiting process once more.
We cannot enjoy life if we constantly spend our time wanting it to pass. This world has so much to offer us, and as unfortunate as it is, we sometimes don’t realize this and end up missing out on a lot of great opportunities. If you have a big event coming up sometime in the near future, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be excited and look forward to it. However, don’t let it take you away from this current moment in time, because every day is a miracle, and you don’t want to miss out on life’s miracles.
The poem, The Station by Robert J. Hastings is one of my favorites, as it explains the importance of living in the moment, and truly cherishing all the we have right now.
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The Station by Robert J. Hastings
Tucked away in our subconscious minds is an idyllic vision in which we see ourselves on a long journey that spans an entire continent. We’re traveling by train and, from the windows, we drink in the passing scenes of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at crossings, of cattle grazing in distant pastures, of smoke pouring from power plants, of row upon row upon row of cotton and corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our conscious minds is our final destination – for at a certain hour and on a given day, our train will finally pull into the station with bells ringing, flags waving, and bands playing. And once that day comes, so many wonderful dreams will come true. So restlessly, we pace the aisles and count the miles, peering ahead, waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
“Yes when we reach the station, that will be it!” we promise ourselves. “When we’re eighteen…win that promotion…put the last kid through college…buy that 450 SL Mercedes Benz…pay off the mortgage…have a nest egg for retirement.”
From that day on, we will all live happily ever after.
Sooner or later, however, we must realize there is no station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive at once and for all. The journey is the joy. The station is an illusion – it constantly outdistances us. Yesterday’s a memory, tomorrow’s a dream. Yesterday belongs to a history, tomorrow belongs to God. Yesterday’s a fading sunset, tomorrow’s a faint sunrise. Only today is there light enough to love and live.
So, gently close the door on yesterday and throw the key away. It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad, but rather the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.
“Relish the moment” is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, swim more rivers, climb more mountains, kiss more babies, count more stars. Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot oftener. Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds. Watch more sunsets. Life must be lived as we go along.
Copyright © 1986 by Southern Illinois University Press.
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